Maravi

Rupiah has chosen Chiluba over Zambians – Fr Luonde

Rupiah has chosen Chiluba over Zambians – Fr Luonde
By Misheck Wangwe in Kitwe
Wed 01 Sep. 2010, 04:00 CAT

POSTERITY will judge President Rupiah Banda harshly for defending thieves at the expense of the nation, Fr Richard Luonde has said charged.

Reacting to President Banda’s scathing attacks on donors and Zambians who are demanding an appeal against Lusaka High Court judge Evans Hamaundu’s decision to throw out an application by the state to register the London judgment against former president Frederick Chiluba, Fr Luonde - an Anglican priest in Kitwe - said justice would one day prevail over the Chiluba case.

Fr Luonde said it was illogical for President Banda to continue offending donors who were devoted to helping the poor in the country.

He said it had become categorically clear to donors that President Banda was more concerned about the welfare of Chiluba and not the majority poor Zambians.

Fr Luonde said President Banda’s shielding of Chiluba from facing justice had raised deep concerns and people were able to see that the President had no due regard for the law.

“President Banda should be aware that Zambians are following the unfolding events especially when it comes to Chiluba’s cases.

What are these two people conspiring against this nation? Why is Rupiah biting the finger that is feeding many people in this country at the expense of his friend Chiluba?

These people who are giving us money are not interested in political power but they are just interested in accountability because they are giving us money,” Fr Luonde said.

He said it was becoming clear that President Banda was ready to starve Zambians to death at the expense of protecting Chiluba from facing justice in the Supreme Court.

Fr Luonde said President Banda should be mindful that donors had nothing to lose if they decided to pull out and take their money to another country that would show seriousness.

He said President Banda should learn to mind his language whenever he talked about donors because it was a fact that the country could suffer without donor funds.

Fr Luonde said President Banda should also learn from what happened to Zimbabwe after President Robert Mugabe started antagonising foreigners.

He said it would be a great mistake for President Banda to be imitating President Muagabe in his style of leadership saying the government of Zambia was not ready to take care of the people without the help of donors.

“We should be able to admit that we are a poor nation and we need actually more donors like yesterday. And if our President starts emulating Mugabe then he is making a huge mistake and would cost the nation heavily.

We want him to mind his language because the world and international organisations that send donors to our country are watching him and his utterances.

It’s my prayer that the President will tone down and treat donors with respect because they are not in this country for him but for the people,” Fr Luonde said.

He said President Banda would not make a good name for himself if he continued to antagonise donors and overprotecting Chiluba from facing the law.

Fr Luonde said donors and the general public had a right to question some weird decisions that President Banda’s government had been making.

President Banda has asked donors to pack their bags and go and stop poking their noses in Zambian affairs.

Meanwhile, Northern Diocese of Zambia Anglican Bishop Albert Chama has said the church will always defend interest of the poor in its mission to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In his homily during the centenary and harvest celebrations that were held at show grounds in Kitwe, Bishop Chama said the vocation to priesthood and other callings that exist in the church would be meaningless if they were not centered on helping the poor and speaking for them.

Bishop Chama said the church would always speak for God’s people and spread the message of love and unity in the country.

“We should not just be priests and bishops on paper and we cannot call ourselves Christians if we are failing to help and speak for the underprivileged. As priests we are called to emulate the work of Jesus Christ - that of speaking for the poor.

Let’s work towards reconciling people to God as a church and extend the peace and love of God to every mankind because that’s the mission of the Church,” Bishop Chama said.

Bishop Chama said Anglicans and Christians countrywide should individually and collectively emulate the early missionaries who came to Zambia in 1910 and built a strong foundation of Christianity.

And speaking at the same function Kitwe district commissioner McDonald Mtine said government valued the positive criticism, encouragement and advice that come from the church.

Mtine said the church had remained the custodian of peace hence the need for church leaders to continue praying for the nation and offer spiritual guidance.

Labels: DONORS, FREDERICK CHILUBA, RICHARD LUONDE, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 3:42 AM